The Bangalore challenger, Super Storm — a 30-1 rank outsider, in the betting — shocked the fancied runners on his way to winning the 71st edition of the Indian Derby, re-christened now as the McDowell Signature Premier Indian Derby, which took the canter stage at the Mahalaxmi raceground, in Mumbai, on Sunday. Jimmy Fortune partnered the Rebuttal-Cielo Vodkamartini colt, trained by Sathish Narredu and bred at the Hazara stud farm. “I was always certain about Super Storm’s victory in the Derby:” said Sathish after the horse won. “He’s a tough horse,” complimented jockey Fortune. In a very open Derby, the 6-1 course-favourite Wind Stream was second, marginally ahead of another friendless runner Hemisphere,and the joint-favourite, Machiavellianism.

Much was expected from the city challenger Snowscape after his scintillating victory in the Eveready Calcutta Derby, about three weeks ago. The horse placed a poor eleventh, as many lengths behind the winner, after being in a box-seat along the rails, and improving at the final turn. The Vijay Singh-trained horse, however, failed to produce his sizzling late run while jockey Christopher Alford tried his best on the 7-1 chance.

The race was run at a fair pace with Angel Crown and Montezuma making most of the running while the fancied runners were ridden off the pace. However, four of the three horses in the betting — in the region of 6’s and 7’s, barring Snowscape — were right behind the front runners, below the distance-post. Super Storm took over the running inside the last furlong and held on to the advantage.